Coin-vending machine



July 31, 1923. 1,463,486

' G. c. REiTH COIN VENDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 14, 1917 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I WWI/ 1 Patent July 31, 1923..

GEORGE C. KEITH, OF PHILADELPHIA,

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, "BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 NATIONAL SALES MACHINE COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MAS- SAGHUSETTS, A COBPORATION'OF MASSACHUSETTS.

COIN-VENDING MACHINE.

Application filed December 14, 1917. Serial No. 207,036.

To all whom it may concern. I

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. REITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvanla, have invented a new and useful Improvement in a Coin- Vending Machine, of which the following, together with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My present invention relates to that class of coin vending machines which comprise a coin detecting mechanism by which coins fiilfilling certain standard requirements are guided to a cash box or till, while those coins which are defectiveare ejected from the machine.

The object of my present invention is to provide means for connecting the merchandise delivering mechanism with the motive power of the machine whenever a coin has been received which complies with the requirements of the coin detecting mechanism,

thereby making itpossible for the vended article to be delivered from the machine only when a coin has been accepted and delivered to the cash draw by the coin detecting mechanism; I accomplish this result by the construction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described, the novel features being pointed out in the annexed claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2 show side and end views, respectively, of a coin vending machine embodying my present improvement, the inclosing case being shown in sectional view.

Figure 3 is a view, partly in vertical section, of the coin detecting mechanism.

Figure 4 is a sectional View through the coin detecting mechanism on the plane of the broken line 44,'Figure 3, and

Figure 5 is a detached view on a larger scale of the clutching mechanism for connecting the merchandise delivery mechanism with the motive power.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in the difierent figures. Referring to the drawings, 1 denotes a case in which the operating mechanism is inclosed, also containing a vertical stack 2 in which the articles 3 to be vended are contained, in the present instance'represented as rectangular cartons, which are pushed from the bottom of the stack 2 by means of prongs 4, 4 carried on an endless chain 5. The chain 5 is supported on sprocket wheels 6, 6, to which an intermittent motion is given to move the chain in the direction of the arrow 7 thereby causing one of the prongs 4, to push the lowermost carton from the bottom of the stack into the exposed trough 8.

The machine illustrated in the accompanying drawings is manually operated by means of a crank 9 attached to a driving shaft 10 which is rotated one complete revolution to move the chain 5 through one half its prescribed travel. The sprocket wheels 6, 6 are rotated by an endless chain 11 connecting the small sprocket wheel 12 with-the larger sprocket wheel 13, rotating'on a fixed stud and having its hub provided with a gear wheel 14 in mesh with a gear wheel 15, through which power is applied to actuate the delivery chain 5. The gear 15' is connected with the driving shaft 10 by a clutching mechanism, which is operative only when the proper'coin has been accepted by the coin detecting mechanism inclosed in a case 16 and interposed in the path of the coin which isinserted through a'slot in the casing of the machine into an inclined coin chute 17. The coin detecting mechanism forms no part of my present invention, and only so much of the coin mechanism is shown and described as is necessary to explain the coin controlled mechanism by which the delivery chain 5 is connected with the motive power when a coin has been received. complying with the requirements of the coin detecting mechanism.

As the coin is delivered through the chute 17 to the coin detecting mechanism, illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, it falls between a series of calipering points and rests upon the rods 19 in the position shown by broken lines 18. In the position of the coin at 18, Figure 3, the center of the coin is supported between a point 20 on'a fixed block 21 and a point 22 on a movableblock 23, and the rim of the coin on diametrically opposite sides is held .between the fixed points 24, 24 on the fixed block 21 and the oints 25, 25 carried on a movable disk 26.

rojecting from the movable block 23 is a hollow hub 27 provided with a slot 28. Sliding in the hollow hub 27 is a short plug 29 connected by alink 30- with crank pin 31 held in a recess in the cam 32 attached to a rocking shaft 33. Between the plug 29 and the end wall of the hollow hub 27 is a spiral spring 34, and between a flange 35 on the end of the hollow hub 27 and the movable disk 26 is a spiral spring- 36. The movable block 23 is connected by a link 37 with a swinging lever 38, and the movable disk 26 is similarly connected by a link 39 with a swinging lever 40. The plug 29 carries a short stud 41 which pro]ects through the slot 28 in the hollow hub 27 and also through a slot 42 in a hub 43 projecting from the side of the movable disk 26. The free ends of the swinging levers 38 and 40 project over the side of a yoke 44 pivoted at 45 to the casing 46 of the coin detector. The free end of the yoke is bent upwardly at 47 and carries a cam roll 48 which is pressed toward the periphery of the cam 32 by means of a spiral spring 49. The cam 32 is provided with a recess 50 and, during the operation of the ma chine, the cam 32 is rocked from itsnormal position, as shown in Figure 3, in the direction of .the arrow 51 until the recess 50- is brought over the cam roll 48. If the swinging levers 38 and 40 are in the posi tion shown in Figure 3, they will the yoke 44 from swinging on its pivot 45, but in case the free ends of the swinging levers 38 and 40 are brought over the notches 52 and 53, the yoke 44 will be free to be swung upwardly by the tension of the spring 49 carrying the cam roll 48 into the recess 50.

Beneath the coin 18 is a short swinging coin chute 54 pivoted to the casing of the coin detector at 55 and normally held in alinement with a coin chute 56 by means of a spiral spring 57 pressing against an arm 58 on the side of the swinging coin chute 54 and holding the arm in contact with a lug 59 on the yoke 44. As the cam 32 is oscillated, the rods 19 which support.

the coin enter the recess 50*, being forced back by spiral springs 60, causing the rods to be withdrawn from beneath the coin and allowing the latter to fall through the chute 54.

If the yoke 44 is held from rising by the levers 38 and 40, the coin will be delivered from the chute 54 into the chute 56 and conducted into an open trough 61 place-d outside the casing of the machine; but in case the yoke 44 is allowed to rise by bringing the free ends of the levers 38 and 40 into registration with the notches 52 and 53, the swinging chute 54 will be moved into registration with the chute 62 by the pressure of the lug 59 against the arm 58, there'- by delivering the coin through the chute 62 into the cash box or till 63. As the cam 32 is rocked to' bring its recess 50 over the cam roll 48, the plug 29 is pushed to the hold its outer end to the pressure of a right, Figure 3, carrying the movable block 23 and disk 26 also to the right and bringing the calipering points 22 and 25 against the sides of the coin, pushing the latter against the calipering points 20 and 24. If the sections of the coin being calipered are of the exact thickness required, the movements of the block 23, and disk 26 will be just sufficient to bring the free ends of the levers 38 and 40 into registration with the notches 52 and 53 inasmuch as the positions of the levers 38 and 40 relative to the notches depend upon the positions of the block 23 and disk 26 and the positions of the block and disk depend upon the thickness of the coin. If the calipered sections of the coin are too thick the free ends of thelevers 38 and 40 will not swing over sufiiciently far to register with the notches 52 and 53 or if the calipered sections of the coin are too thin the free ends of the levers 38 and 40 will swing by the notches 52 and 53 and accordingly will notregister therewith. In both instances the yoke 44 and chute 54 will remain stationary in the position shown in Fig. 3 and the coin willbe rejected by the machine and delivered into the open trough 61.

The operator in depositing a coin through the chute 17 rot-ates the shaft 10 a single revolution by the crank 9, and a cam 64 attached to the-shaft 10 rocks a lever 65 which is connected by a link 66 with an arm 67 attached to the shaft 33.- The rotation of the shaft 10 oscillates the cam 32, bringing the coin detecting mechanism into operation, but unless the clutching mechanism, hereinafter described, between the shaft 10 and the gear 15 is brought into action, the delivery chain 5 will remain stationary and no goods will be delivered into the trough 8. In case the coin is accepted, a clutching mechanism, hereinafter described, between the shaft 10 and the gear 15 is engaged and the delivery chain 5 rotated to push the lowermost article in' the stack 2 into the trough 8. The gear 15 is attached to a hub 68 on a cross bar 69, said hub and cross bar being capable of turning loosely on the shaft 10 but held in position by a lever 70, actuated by a s ring 71 and carrying on its free end a roll 2 which engages notches 73 on a disk 74 attached to the hub 68.

The cross bar 69 carries in its opposite end blocks 75 and 76 capable of'sliding in radial ways in the ends of the cross bar 69;

Each of the blocks 75 and 76 is subjected at spiral spring 77, which tends to force the inner ends of the blocks 75 and 76 into contact with a cam 7 8 attached to the shaft 10. The

cam 78 is provided with a shoulder 7 9 adapted to engage the inner ends of the blocks 75 and 76 whenever they rest upon the periphranged to be carried beneath the cam 81 as the cross bar 69 is rotated, causing its connected sliding block to be withdrawn from the cam 78. The sliding blocks 75 and 7 6 s are provided, with arms 84 and 85 respectively, adapted to be engaged by a latch.86 on the'end of an arm 87 attached to a rocking shaft 88 journalled in the framework of the machine. Attached to the rocking shaft 88 is an arm 89, the free end of which enters a notch 90 in an arm 91 projecting from the yoke44.

As the free end of the yoke 44 is allowed to move upwardly by the acceptance ot a coin as it passes through the coin detecting mechanism, the arm 87 is swung in the ,direction of the arrow 92, Figure 2, thereby withdrawing the latch from engagement with its sliding block so that, as the cam 78 rotates, the shoulder'7 9 will engage the end of the block, in the resent instance the block 75, thereby rotating the cross bar 69 half a revolution, carrying the block 75.

around into the position occupied by the block 76, Figure 5, and carrying its stud 82 beneath the cam 81, causing the block to be withdrawn from contact with the cam 78. As the cross bar 69 is moved, the stud 83 is carried out of engagement with the cam 81, allowing the spring 77 to force the block 76 against the cam and causing it to ride on the periphery 93 of the cam into the position occupied by the block 75 in Figure 5.

The cam 32 is reversed during the final half revolution of the shaft 10-, depressing the yoke 44 and causing the latch 86 to be swung into engagement with the uppermost of the sliding blocks 75 or 76 which has been raised by the action of the cam 78 into the position of the block 75, as shownin Figure 5, causing the block so engaged from being .forced down by the action of its spring 77.

As theshaft 10 approaches the end of its complete revolution, that sliding block carried by the cross bar 69 which has been engaged by the shoulder 79 on the cam 78 is withdrawn by the passage of its projecting stud beneath the fixed cam 81. At this point in the rotation of the crow bar 69, the cam roll 72 is just entering one of the notches 73 of the disk 74 and its pressure against the inclined side of the notch, due to the tension of the spring 71, will rotate the disk &

74 and shaft 10 a short distance and complete the rotation of the cross bar 69.

During the first half of the rotation of the shaft 10 the coin detecting mechanism is actuated. If the coin is re ected, the latch 86 remains in position, shown in Figure 2, holding its engaged sliding block from moving downwar 1y so that the rotation of the shaft 10 and cam 78 will not engage the block 75, and the cross bar 69 and its connected gear 15 will remain at rest, no merchandise being then delivered from the apparatus. If, however, the coin is accepted, the latch 86 will be withdrawn and the spring 77 will cause the sliding block 75 to is brought beneath the stationary cam 81 which withdraws the block from engagement with the cam 78, when the half revolution of the cross bar 69 is completed by the pressure of the roll 7 2 against the inclined side of the notch 73 of the disk 74 attached to the hub 68 projecting from the cross bar 69.

means for actuating the delivering mechanism during a subsequent partial rotation of said shaft, and means for engaging said clutching mechanism as determined by the action of said coin detector.

3. In a coin vending machine, a merchandise delivering mechanism, a rotating shaft through which power is applied to the ma chine, a clutching mechanism between said shaft and said delivering mechanism, a latch 'for holding said clutching mechanism out of engagement, and means determined by the thickness of a coin for releasing said latch.

. GEORGE QREITH. 

